Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method therefor, a storage medium storing a control program therefor, and an information processing system, and in particular, relates to a set-value synchronization process for synchronizing a set value saved in an information processing apparatus with a set value saved in another information processing apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
There is a known method that saves master data of various kinds of set values saved in an information processing apparatus like a multifunctional peripheral device in another information processing apparatus like a server and unitarily manages the master data. These set values are synchronized mutually. Accordingly, when the master data saved in the server is changed, the server notifies the multifunctional peripheral device of the post-changing set values, and the set values saved in the multifunctional peripheral device are changed. In the same manner, when the set values saved in the multifunctional peripheral device are changed, the master data saved in the server is also changed (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2010-283618 (JP 2010-283618A).
Furthermore, a system that synchronizes setting values saved in a multifunctional peripheral device with master data saved in a server is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2010-173318 (JP 2010-173318A), for example.
The image forming apparatus disclosed in JP 2010-173318A is provided with a plurality of devices of which energization states are controllable independently. When synchronizing data is received from the server and when a device that the synchronizing data should be reflected is in a non-energized state for saving power, update using the synchronizing data is suspended until the device concerned shifts to an energized state.
Incidentally, when synchronizing data is frequently changed in the server used as a transmitting source of synchronizing data, the image forming apparatus at a receiving side preferably reflects the post-changed synchronizing data to each device and operates whenever the synchronizing data is changed. In such a case, when the synchronizing data that has been already received is reflected to the target device after the device shifts to the energized state according to the method of JP 2010-173318A, there is no guarantee that the reflected synchronizing data is the same as the newest synchronizing data that is saved in the server at that point.
Accordingly, in order to reflect the newest synchronizing data to the target device and to make it operate, it is necessary to receive the synchronizing data from the server again after the target device shifts to the energized state. As a result, since the synchronizing data received while the target device is in the non-energized state is not used, the network communication concerning the receiving of the synchronizing data concerned becomes wasteful communication.